MSF Doctor Evacuated to Netherlands After Testing Positive for Ebola

An Médecins Sans Frontières staff member working on the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for the Ebola Bundibugyo virus and is being evacuated to the Netherlands for specialized treatment, humanitarian organizations announced on Thursday, October 1, 2026.

Total confirmed cases stand at 8,067, with fatalities reaching 3,901, as government figures released by public health authorities showed that confirmed cases surpassed 8,000 for the first time. The Dutch health ministry confirmed in a letter to parliament that the patient is an MSF doctor who will be received at the University Medical Center in Leiden, located about 40 kilometers southwest of Amsterdam. The humanitarian worker contracted the virus while assisting with response operations in the Central African nation, according to statements released by Médecins Sans Frontières.

Transport to Europe is underway via a special flight. Upon arrival, the medical worker will be admitted directly to a secure unit designed specifically for dangerous infectious diseases, featuring isolation rooms equipped with double-door airlocks and two intensive care units.

Netherlands Prepares Specialized Treatment Units

A specialized team of infectious disease experts will oversee the treatment inside secure isolation quarters.

MSF Doctor Evacuated to Netherlands After Testing Positive for Ebola — Photo: Arab News

University Medical Center, Leiden

“All precautionary measures are being taken to prevent transmission,” the hospital said.

The hospital added that the clinical management will proceed in strict isolation, following the applicable protocols, a routine the facility practices regularly. A spokesperson for the Dutch health ministry declined to disclose additional details regarding the patient, citing privacy concerns. Médecins Sans Frontières operates across several regions in the country, including Ituri, North Kivu, Tshopo, and Haut-Uélé provinces. The organization acknowledged that despite providing staff with the highest possible levels of protection, the risk of occupational exposure can never be completely eliminated.

Democratic Republic of Congo Faces Record Epidemic

The infection comes during the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak in the history of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Caused by the Bundibugyo species of the virus, the ongoing epidemic has surpassed the nation’s previous 2018–2020 crisis.

This makes the current DRC epidemic the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record globally. It is surpassed only by the 2014–2016 West African outbreak, which infected more than 28,600 people and killed over 11,000 across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Global Health Agencies Track Transmission Risks

The World Health Organization has classified the situation as an international emergency. The Bundibugyo variant has spread across parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda over several months.

Health authorities note that the virus is highly infectious and transmits between humans through direct contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood, vomit, sweat, or saliva. The illness typically begins with flu-like signs, including fever, headache, and muscle pain, before advancing to internal and external bleeding in more severe stages. According to the World Health Organization, the fatality rate for the disease hovers around 50 percent.

Médecins Sans Frontières

“This person is being safely evacuated under a strict medical protocol in close coordination with the relevant health authorities in the DRC and the Netherlands, where the patient will be received by a designated hospital,” MSF said in a statement.

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